


The Distant Horizon

by theburninghollytree



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Light Angst, Mystery, Odyssey AU, Other, gonna add more characters and tags eventually, in a sense anyways, someone please tell me why everyone in odyssey is an idiot, will get more later lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-01-30 11:23:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21427429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theburninghollytree/pseuds/theburninghollytree
Summary: In the process of being rewritten!!!
Relationships: we’ll get there eventually don’t worry
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. The Loneliness

**Author's Note:**

> F I N A L L Y
> 
> we got here baybee!!!  
I’m so happy I’ve finally got here and i really hope this is decent lmao

Something sat uneasy in the man’s chest. Something was wrong, he was sure of it. 

_ What was wrong? _His mind repeated, over and over again. A mantra. An omen. Resounding echoes, over again. Over again. 

_ What is wrong? _

_ What is wrong? _

“Sir?”

The communications buzzed, interrupting his corrupted thoughts, and he quickly turned to the glowing panel, a flickering blue light, indicating someone trying to contact him.

“Yes?”

“He’s gone. Again.”

_ Again? _

He held his tongue. No use in shooting the messenger. Instead, he simply sighed.

“Do you know where he is currently?”

“No. We know what ship he took, however. We can probably track him from there if we get the Armada’s files.”

“When did he leave.”

“Unclear. Strange no one noticed it gone until now.”

“Does that include yourself, Commander?” His tone was icy.

The voice on the other side paused.

“Suppose it does.”

“Just, come to the dock as soon as possible, please. Perhaps we can sort this out sooner rather than later.”

The voice disconnected, and he was in his own company once more. 

* * *

Suns. There were suns, two of them. Glaring yellow lights in the sky that forced his eyes closed once again. It could have been just because he was delirious, hit his head on the landing, simply his eyes playing tricks on him from the heat and light that struck down on him without forgiveness of the occurrence. 

A pulsing feeling scattered across the wind and commanded his eyes to open again, an obtrusive feeling threatening to split his side open. Yasuo clutched the wound harshly, blood seeping into his hands as he winced from the pain. A simple touch, from whatever happened to him, screeching his thinking to a halt without even attempting. The violet sky that swirled above him, teasing him, whispering air giggling at his agony. It was all unfamiliar. 

He was alone, and it was unfamiliar. 

Part of himself said to stop and think, the current situation strange and could put him at any risk. But they had taken risks before, hadn’t they? Why would this be any different?

The stone from the ground cut into the fabric of his clothes, not caring if scars were there or not. A reminder, of sorts, that this risk could always be different than the last.

Sometimes, that’s what made it fun.

But he didn’t feel that way now.

He was used to feeling alone, when he was in the empire. Drifting from place to place, never gaining enemies, but never a friend either. Just people to work for, supervise, party with, drink until they passed out. He didn’t know what it meant to be lonely. Being alone, but not lonely was everything he knew. 

That was before his brother was murdered.

He shuddered as he remembered the thought, or it could have been his body urging him to get up. He would rather not listen to anything but his own mind.

Yone’s voice seemed to murmur with the wind, until becoming all that he could hear. Telling him it was his fault. He is dead, and it’s Yasuo’s fault. 

He _ murdered _me. 

They_ blamed _you.

They said it was _ you. You did this to me. _

His breathing grew heavier until he closed his eyes and he groaned, Yone’s startled face as a scythe flashed from the air and red stains splattered against the ground in front of him. A deranged man’s smile as he looked from the corpse to the remaining brother.

“_ You should run.” Kayn said. “No doubt they will be here soon, and I’m not the one to blame.” He tapped a finger to his ordinal uniform before sinking into the wall, now splattered with innocent blood. _

_ For once he followed an authority’s advice. _

He wished he could see his brother again. Say something, maybe apologize. The only remainder he had was Sona, and now she was gone too. He didn’t like feeling lonely. A cold, empty thing, the starting of a premonition. 

That was all he could remember, and then they were gone. He couldn’t tell if it was the pain, alcohol, or exhaustion that made it all so extreme. Maybe a combination, but no reason to dwell on it. 

His head throbbed, it hurt so much to be coherent. If he could just lay here for now… become one with the strange earth he now inhabited perhaps he wouldn’t feel so terrible. Plummet below and never rise.

“I need to find them.” His voice rang through the wasteland, through the quiet and cutting through any silence it seemed to want. 

“I need. To find my crew.” He repeated, a new echo to himself. No longer to dwell on cursed ideas. No longer feel the sting of the ground that amplified his hurt. 

Getting up was a chore, the throbbing in his side refusing to fade any time soon. He tore a piece of cloth from his pants and tied it to his waist to soak up the rest of the blood. He looked towards the horizon in front of him, cliffs and flora stood for miles. Even if it was repetitive, the crazed panic in his mind slowly began to subside. There was a sort of calming aura coming from the world around him, another gust brushing past his face and shoving loose strands of hair into his eyes.

It covered the landscape, however long it may be, grays and blues and greens that seemed to shift with the light and clouds. Tufts of vegetation sprouted from dusty soil, little yellow and blue puffs that drifted steadily across the sky. His eyes lingered from one to another. Light beamed from the dual suns, combating each other to whom could shine the brightest, illuminating the small speckles drifting to look like floating lights. A hazy world, wispy clouds, unbearable heat. 

It felt like a magical motivation to explore and uncover. As he stood at the edge of the bluff, in time his missing crewmates could assist him.

But for now, he assisted himself. 


	2. The Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worrying. Lots and lots of worrying. Too much for anyone’s own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> creeper
> 
> aw man

“Come on… come on please--”

There was nothing to see. Everything was dark, he was weak, and it was cold. It stank of drying blood and rotting bodies. “I- I can’t…”

He groaned, his leg caught between... Something. Probably more rocks. Rocks that kept him from breathing, from seeing anyone again. Would they forgive him? It’s not like he knew what was happening.

A low light glowed from the communications on his interface. A single star against black holes and dense galaxies. His only chance, if he could get a signal. He could barely see, his eyes clot with blood and dust. It was terribly painful to speak, rock crushing his ribs and dust filling his lungs.

“I- I need-”

“_ Hello? Identify yourself. I cannot read your signal.” _

He couldn’t say much more. Everything hurt. Everything was dark. 

‘S-stuck… need..”

“_ Please, sir, we cannot help you if we don’t know who you are.” _

Who was he anymore, at this point? He was certainly sure he wasn’t who he used to be. Not after everything that happened. Happening. 

“I-I’m… a commander…”

He let out a loud cry as he tried to move, debris adjusting and squashing his leg. 

_ That has to be broken now. _

His jaw hurt. His leg hurt. Everything… hurt. 

The voice behind the communications sighed. “_ Alright, at least give me the situation.” _

“Edgeworld… ship gone… stuck-”

‘_ What else?” _

“Gentle… Gentle Reminder.”

* * *

Jarvan paced back and forth, shoes clicking against the metal floor on the ship. His eyes flickered with each movement, scattered. On edge.

And so Katarina stood there, unmoving as she raised an eyebrow towards him, glassy interface shifting through the bangs that covered her eye. A breeze of restlessness floated between both of the eerily silent figures, and all she could do was cross her arms as he turned for what seemed the thirtieth time.

“You’re paranoid.” She said, finally. It broke the tapping ticking like a clock. He stopped and turned towards her, violet eyes faded and away, not quite meeting hers. That sense of panic was there, awake and alert, but it seemed the rest of his body couldn’t catch up.

“And so if I am?” He countered, his firm voice contrastic to his shaky figure. “This is my home, and yours. _ Our _ Empire. _ Our _responsibility.” He sighed, but that didn’t sate him. “Something is wrong, you know that, and so do my Ordinals, and I do too. Missing soldiers isn’t new, but… but an entire squadron with their commander? And an Ordinal of my own as well. And with one by one they… I cannot begin to fathom-” Jarvan cut himself off before the thoughts became too much. The idea an entire crew to be dead, or something worse, could have entire ramifications. People such as the Templars and the Syndicate could see that as a weakness. Something to exploit and ruin everything. 

“You do know the only reason K-”

“Quiet! I cannot have anyone know of this.”  
“I’m sure they have already noticed but, okay. Sure. You know he didn’t return was because the commander called him, correct?”

Jarvan nodded slowly, careful not to say any words. Katarina was an antsy one, quick to decisions if not always in her best interest. He had been reluctant to have her become an Ordinal due to this exact temper. Much to her dismay as his friend, she remained a high-ranking Commander. Yet still he called her here, if not she contacted him first. Something as if she was an Ordinal. However, he still refused her requests. If he said nothing of it, perhaps the problem would eventually dissipate. 

“So they called him, he answered, whatever happened with the Templars happened. And then he came back.” She gestured a hand to him, as if motioning for him to continue the story. 

“He came back and he was not… well.” He said, pulling his hand to his desk, raising a glowing blue file. An entire ship, completely gone. No one knew what had occurred then. Anyone who remained of the incident refused to speak.

“Mhm.”

“He was back but there was something terribly wrong with him. Not right in the head, that’s all it was. I thought it was only the mission, getting to his head. It had happened before.”

“And then he left.”  
“But he returned.”   
“And then again.” She countered.

“But then he would always come back, even more on edge than the last.” He followed.

“And now he’s gone again, and I can’t help but feel as if it is my fault.” 

“It can be if you want it to be.” She shrugged, sitting back into a chair, the low lights glittering off her eyes and interface. “You’re just… eh, I don’t know, the emperor of this whole place? You can’t let a few simple missing people get the better of you.” She tugged a dagger from her belt, glistening with augmented ora. She studied it carefully, even if she used it a thousand days in her life. She tapped the tip of the blade with her index finger. “Bet it was the Templars, I could send me and my squad to make it even.”

He sighed again, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “That won’t be necessary, Commander. I just… want to know what’s going on here.”

“I’m sure most of us do.”

He looked towards the file he pulled again. He recognized the name of the Commander, a man named Nakuri. He had known Kayn for a time, it seemed logical that he would call him specifically for assistance. But even then…

“We didn’t get any contact at all from the Commander?”

“Nope. All signals went dark. Like they never even existed. Here, look at the rest of the files.” She walked up towards him and leaned over his shoulder, squinting to flick between panels. “There’s no information on him. Or any of his crew.”  
Katarina was right. Looking closer at the missing person’s file, there hardly remained a trace of Nakuri, or anyone else who was with him. They didn’t even have the name of the ship. Just deleted text, with fuzzy names and pictures. 

“Someone must have deleted their information,” He breathed, “Or hacked into the system. There’s no other way someone could have done this.”

She gave Jarvan a knowing look, a small sense of pity crossing her face but it quickly fleeted.

“He wouldn’t of.”  
She simply stared back at him, blank faced and without a response. Her expression seemed to be an answer enough.   
“He- I know him! He would never think of… tampering with Imperial information? Deleting files? What would he gain from this he couldn’t even-” He felt himself breathing heavier now at the prospect. He closed his eyes and let out another deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.   
“He was my _ friend _ , Katarina.”   
“But you said he had changed.”

“But…” He couldn’t think much of a rebuttal. His head was swimming with too many thoughts at once, between the missing people who left further, the original incident, the missing files, how none refused to enlighten him with the true story of it all. He was constantly left in the dark with people he trusted and confined to. It felt hopeless. 

“Are you really that shocked by this revelation?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.  
“I cared about him.”

A discreet laugh tugged at the corner of her lips but it was quickly silenced as Jarvan gave her an offended look.

“If you want my opinion, sounds like you’re playing favorites.”

He grumbled something incoherent before avoiding her statement entirely, looking back to the panels in front of him. She sat back into her chair, kicking her feet up onto a table and toying with a stray piece of dark pink hair, almost purple in the light of the room. 

“Didn’t catch that, _ your highness. _” She grinned. He had known Katarina long enough to know that smile: she knew exactly how to get under a person’s skin. Whether that be by words or by blades.

“I don’t… do favorites. Why would I enact favoritism under my own ranks?”

“All you’ve been doing is moping and complaining ever since _ he _left and you’re now telling me you don’t like playing favorites.” Katarina couldn’t contain another laugh. “Favorites, my ass. You obviously have some sort of bias.”

He groaned before dropping the files entirely disintegrating back into small particles as he put his head in his hands, hair falling in front of his face.

“It’s not intentional, at least.“

“Yea yea, you’ve known each other forever, “Oh no, he wouldn’t do this!!” Got it, got it. I know how you work.” She wandered towards him once again, a light catching in the corner of her interface that made it seem she winked through her bangs. “You can’t let that control you, though. People see all these emotions as weak.” She twirled a knife between her fingers, the quiet sound of it spinning the only noise besides her voice.

“I know.”

“And yes, more and more are missing, dead or something of other-” she placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at the sudden contact. “You can’t let that consume the rest of your duty. My father is one of those people missing, too. You think I’m not concerned.”

“It’s still a mystery if you worry about anything.” He said, only half joking. 

“I will worry when I need to.”

“Seems like it now.” A cautious retort. Her eyes narrowed and he quickly looked back to the floor.

“I worry, but I-”  
“Don’t let others see it.” He growled. Katarina nodded in response. “Rather quick temper and-” He stopped himself as Katarina shot another deadly look at him. “Right, right.” A quick almost-apology under his breath.

Suddenly, her eyes seemed to perk up, the glassy material of her interface sending a message of some sort. She gave a wide gaze at Jarvan before directing all attention to the call.

“Yes? No, I- Yes I’m with the emperor, I’m busy, please do not-” Her eyes widened and soon her expression was turned towards Jarvan again, lips pressed into a thin line as she brushed some of her bangs from her face.

“Are you serious about this? Yes I know you always are, just- okay okay, I know, got it. Can it, you’re too uptight. Right. I’ll let him know. Thank you, Ordinal.” 

She slammed a hand on his desk, nearly making him jump from his seat.

“They’ve got something.” 

“What?”

“Someone’s still alive out there. An edgeworld, Ionan. Ordinal Vayne’s got a signal on something.”

“Wasn’t she tasked with keeping you in check-”

“Now is _ not _the time!” She hoisted him up, grabbing her daggers and motioning towards his own weapon rack.

“This seems like a you problem, as well.”

He hesitated, head flipping from Katarina’s eager stare to the weapons on his wall. He grabbed his most familiar, a lance known as _ Drakebane, _a generational weapon of all Demaxian Emperors. 

Better put it to good use. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again!!! thank u very much for reading!!  
Please note most of the time each chapter is going to have a perspective shift between the morning star crew and also the empire. better to know ahead of time i guess??? eh who knows  
it’s fun like this  
have a good day/night ilyvm!! <3


	3. The Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For once, everything seemed at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im tired wow!!!  
I'm so sorry I didn't get this out sooner, holidays and classes have been kicking my ass but i managed to get the chapter out f i n a l l y  
Thank god  
Also I've been writing stuff that comes wayyy later so oops guess im just excited so hopefully next chapter should be soon

_ “Do you really think this is necessary? This doesn’t seem alright with-.” _

_ The other man scoffed behind a small laugh. “Of course it is! Besides, it’s more fun this way.” _

_ The first man rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest before looking at the other with good humor. “Your definition of fun is much different than mine, I would think.” _

_ “You would think? Wouldn’t you know? You’ve known me for long enough, wouldn’t you say? And besides, you’re too strict about these things. Learn to lighten up a little! It would be nice to actually see you smile, for once.” _

_ The first man smiled as told, laughing slightly before looking out the window of the ship, stars sparking against his armor from the glass. It was almost as if the man himself was made of the cosmos, a god amongst mortals, but the other knew he would never say anything of it, too frightened of emotions. _

_ “We have come far, you and I. Since we were children.” The first said.  _

_ “And we were idiotic, stubborn, and clumsy?” _

_ He laughed. “Perhaps something like that. But I’m glad you still remained despite all of it. Despite me, as well.” _

_ The second man gave him a look. “Despite you? Why would you think I would leave you behind?” _

_ “I-“ _

_ The first man sighed, sitting back into a chair, refusing to acknowledge the other’s sturdy gaze, instead looking back out the window, his eyes seeming to glow eerily in the quiet starlight. As unsettling as the growing silence itself. He missed the now fleeting laughter of before. _

_ “I wouldn’t think that… you wouldn’t.” _

_ The second put his hand upon the first’s shoulder, crouching in front of him to meet his eyes. He brushed a bit of the hair out of his eyes before closing them and letting out a sighing chuckle. _

_ “No, I would not. Unless something terrible happened, I’ll come back. As much as you would like to keep me away.” He opened an eye before giving the first a sly smile. “But, don’t worry. No need to worry about me.” _

_ “I worry about everyone in this empire.” _

_ “Then make it everyone in the empire… minus one.” _

* * *

The foliage wasn’t getting any thinner. And as the suns began to set, Yasuo wondered if he would ever find anything to survive at all. He couldn’t find the ship, he couldn’t find his friends, everything was just… gone. Without a trace. 

Leaves and needles stuck into his hair, the air refused to go quite into his lungs. He

was hungry, it was dark, and the world seemed to want to screw him over because of things out of his control.

It was unfair.

The worst of it was that he couldn’t even remember what happened. There was no one around to ask, and without them his mind quickly assumed the worst. 

_ Are they okay? On another planet? Are they dead? _

He hoped not. As incessant as his crew was sometimes, he still cared about them. Loved them. Appreciated their company, even if it wasn’t voiced. What was once just random strangers he grabbed when fleeing the law came the closest thing to family he ever had, besides his brother. 

No, he didn’t want to dwell on that again. 

“Talk yourself through.” He told himself. “We were fine. I am fine.” Refusing the slight panic. He was the relaxed, if not a little agitated Captain. “I am the Captain of the Morning Star.” He pronounced into the nothingness. “I am a skilled swordsman, who is agile and confident an-”

His breath caught short, and foot hooked onto a rock, sending him falling headfirst into the ground.

And into more rocks.

He felt something wet coming from his forehead but by then his vision had gone dark.

“...Is he dead?” The voice was loud, a tad irritating, yet it seemed… worried? Perhaps that was right. Quite interested in whatever it was looking at as well, whether that may be from curiosity or concern. 

“No he’s not!” The voice replied to the nothingness. “I’m sure he’s just tired. Yea yea, if you say so.”

But nothing was said? Yasuo was too delirious, and as the voice said, too exhausted to fret about it.

_ (We shouldn’t wake him yet.) _ A whisper, calm and soothing that seemed to only come from his head. It wasn’t the same as the other one it sounded more at rest. Peaceful tone that reminded him of small, tinkling bells. Starlight sparkling in a sky he couldn’t see. 

( _ Rest, Yasuo. You’ll be alright.)  _ He let the murmurs wash over him and felt his consciousness slip once more. But this time, he felt more content. 

“How long has it been?” The first voice pestered. 

( _ 2 days, I believe?)  _ The calmer responded. Yasuo had gotten used to their incessant conversation, as distantly familiar as it was. Occasionally, he could feel them too, a brush of cloth or metal against his arm or fingertips. One day he grabbed a chunk of something that felt suspiciously like hair and the first voice had yapped its fair share of complaints. Other times, he heard the light scuttle of another animal, even felt it rest upon his chest one time. At least, that’s what he thought it was. No way to tell, his mind was still too closed. 

When the voices had retired he assumed it was night, and his dreams told him of their happenings. Two figures, lost in the woods with a small creature trailing behind. They were looking for something… no, someone. Some people. Multiple people. 

He was one of them. The stars floated around him lazily, watching the two figures frantically look around, call out if anyone was there. It sounded like fuzzy nonsense in his head. His name, barely heard. Merely a shout from further distance. Another name was called, mostly said by the louder voice. Listening to the cries closely he noticed only the first was howling into the forage. The other was completely silent, none of the mild hush of the other that always subdued his chaotic thoughts. 

( _ He will be awake soon, I’m sure.) _

The mumbling words didn’t quite reach his ears, but the twinkling sound made him perk up in anticipation. This tone he knew by now, it comforted him in his void state. 

_ (We’ve done enough, we must wait for him now.) _

_ I’m done waiting _ , he thought.  _ I want to see you. See you again.  _

_ Again… _

All at once his senses took over him, light burning into his eyes as he immediately closed them again. But he could feel. He could move. His head was dizzy and refusing to cooperate, abstract shapes clouding his vision from his impact and the sudden awakening. His side was sore, but at least it wasn’t a scream of pain.

It was a start. 

Slowly, he peered his eyes open and the world seemed to come into a full picture. Flora he recognized, from the planet he was on before. A small fire that was beginning to turn to ash warmed his skin, his hands held closer to it in an instant. It was warm and it was nice. It felt good for it to be nice, everything to be at peace for once in a place they didn’t know.

But the two figures before him made him sigh, but nothing out of discontent or unhappiness.

They were both knocked out from sleep, huddled close on whatever kind of grass they laid on.

Jinx was curled up into a tight ball, babbling incoherent messages to anything willing to listen. Sona was quiet, as she always was, breathing softly, her face and hood turned to the fire. Her breaths came up in small puffs, teasing at the steadily dying firelight. His lizard was curled up to her side, a bubble popping from its mouth as it yawned now and again.

He smiled at the simplicity of it all.

Everything was okay. 

_ Malphite is missing.  _

He smiled anyway, and laid back down, arms crossed over his chest, breathing becoming shallower. 

_ We’ll worry about that later.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi thanks again for reading!! I love you all and I appreciate you uwu
> 
> sorry this chapter was a little short it was mostly just filler but you know what? its soft. so screw it.   
Plots gonna start moving very soon tho so have ur peace while u can
> 
> also if u noticed intros are important for the chapters that follow it so have ur foreshadowing and go


	4. The Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something more than a mutiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i’m back!!!!  
i had 0 motivation and also have just been hella busy,,, sorry about that
> 
> time to move move move!

_ “What can you feel?” _

_ “ _ ** _I can sense them… they are close._ ** _ ” _

_ He chuckled darkly, eyes narrowed to the planet they descended upon. “Good....“ _

* * *

The ship was cold. 

Katarina insisted Vayne turn up the heating on her ship, the Guided Whisper, but it felt like she didn’t care.

She didn’t. 

She was an Ordinal after all, she only truly answered to the emperor. Vayne was a firm believer in the fact, stoic and uptight, mouth always forming a heavy scowl, like she was constantly told a bad joke. Both Katarina and her constantly had Jarvan on the line, and now that he was right next to them both a wave of unease caught between the Ordinal and her Commander.

A small glint of light shone in Vayne’s eyes. Her eyes were narrowed, like a cat’s pupils, and angular face even sharper and more aggressive in the lower light. The golden off Jarvan’s armour reflected across the yellow flecks that scattered across her face, gold catching the blue in her eyes, turning a glowing, faded green. She shot the commander a look, shoulders rigid.

Katarina rustled up her jacket before tugging at its collar, eyes flickering from the window of space, to Vayne, to Jarvan. 

The silence stayed, the delicate situation threatening to crack. Something was wrong, they all knew it. Yet the gravity of it all could barely be comprehended.

“Do you want me to…” Katarina began awkwardly, gesturing towards the console on the deck in front of them.

“No need.” Vayne replied sharply, “We already know what to expect.” 

“So did the rest of them, but look what happened and why we’re going.” Katarina said slowly. Jarvan looked up.  _ She’s provoking the beast,  _ he thought. 

“We’re viewing the aftermath of it, Commander. Don’t move, that’s an order.” 

“But still, shouldn’t we at least  _ know  _ what we’re getting into? We can easily be able to view-“ 

“Do you have no respect for higher commands?” Vayne barked, nails scratching at the table. “I don’t expect a Commander to speak to authorities that way, especially one whom they picked out of the  _ muck of-” _

“Shauna.” Jarvan’s voice was calm and stern despite the tension, and he put his hand on her shoulder cautiously. “No need for useless squabbles. You both are put together for a reason, now just, please calm down.”

Vayne bristled, violet hair usually tight against her scalp drifting out of the firm ponytail. Her lips formed a thin scowl that usually resulted in an insult or jab, but Jarvan waved a hand in response. 

“At ease, Ordinal.” He growled.

It was so much to keep everything ordinary with the emperor around. He knew of their arguments, whatever blades were drawn without his presence. She motioned to say a rebuttal before ultimately sighing, sitting back into a seat by the window.  _ No, not his fault. _ She looked out from it, hand pressed to her face in agitated thought as slingspace and stars flurried past like paint strokes across the galaxy. 

The Commander gave a face to the Ordinal looking away, resulting in an eye-roll from the Emperor, but it was to be expected. Bickering to the point of exhaustion. It always seemed like he was more tired than them after it, Katarina saw the jaded look in his eyes whenever the two caused trouble with one another. 

It had gotten even worse since more of his Ordinals had vanished. 

Neither Katarina nor Vayne couldn’t quite understand the Emperor’s logic to their pairing, even if he encouraged them on their strengths together. Vayne was stringent, humorless. Katarina always poked at her anyways.

Maybe it was their shared love of ruthlessness, or just the fact that everyone found it ironic they were forced to work with one another. 

They didn’t know if they would ever understand their Emperor’s reasoning, but it was best not to question it.

Katarina pulled up the panel despite her other directions, fingers twiddling around the images, watching them grow into more detailed holograms. 

“Ionan.” She breathed, “Dump at the edge of nowhere.” 

“Yet it’s causing all of these problems.” Jarvan replied, walking up next to her, watching her interface communicate with the image. “And the message we received made it sound like it wasn’t just that.”

“Yes, I know that.” She huffed. Her interface grew one of the images on the planet, to a cave covered in pink rocks and harsh light. The cave had fallen upon itself, the ground cracked and no way to know what was inside. What surrounded it was empty, it would be hard to navigate. Mountains, deserts. 

“We’re gonna need to take a portable navigation unit for me or Vayne.” She decided. “Or program the augment into our interfaces. Everything looks the same down there, it’s gonna be a monster to find anything. Sure, we’ve detected where the signal’s at but it’s literally just clouds and rocks down there.” 

Vayne snorted from across the room. “Well that’s lovely, isn’t it?” The Ordinal rolled her eyes, looking towards the two standing figures. “I don’t quite understand why we’re doing this for a simple Commander. I don’t mean to offend, my emperor, but from what my… associate has just communicated it seems rather illogical. We are really going down there just to see if one man still lives?”

“It’s about information.” Jarvan replied simply. “Alive or dead, one man or none, this is the place where something dangerous had transpired, and put many of not just my own men, but other people of this Empire in danger. A chain of events, if you will.” He looked towards the window, stars whizzing by. “Even if the Commander does not live by the time we arrive, we can still investigate. Uncover some sort of this… whatever this is.” 

He paused.

“Find out what had happened to the land, and to them.”

She squinted carefully, interface glistening, then shrugged. “It’s not my decision to make, I suppose.” Vayne muttered, heel clicking on the metallic floor in a rhythm. 

Katarina huffed and turned to the holograms. She tapped a few keys and shuffled with her interface. “Got tracking on it. We’re close.”

Ionan wasn’t far now.

Jarvan’s voice was low. “It’s time we see what this mess was about.” He ignored the voice in the back of his head to turn back. That voice so familiar, it felt real. He sighed.

_ In too deep now,  _ he thought.  _ I know you wouldn’t want the same fate for me, but I’m only doing this for the future. The Empire’s future. _

His mind went blank.

_ Yours, too. _

* * *

As the ship descended, Katarina was right. A nowhere place. Empty, spare for harsh sunlight and pink rocks, eroding away with the wind forming heavy dust clouds. Deserts of sand stretched out for as far as they could see. The tracker hummed lowly.

“We’re close.” Jarvan said under his breath.

Mountains. Jagged and protruding against the otherwise flat planet, stabbing the sky, clawing at the clouds and light.

“It’s gotta be those mountains, right?” Katarina slid her hand across the window. The beacon pinged, louder this time, as if answering her before the two others in the room could. 

A small imperial ship barely came into view from between the narrow cliffs. 

“There.” Vayne shoved the other woman out of the way and looked onward, eyes not leaving the controls as she fiddled with them, extending the landing gear and huffing in what seemed to be content. “We’re going down now.”

Unease lurked at the back of Jarvan’s mind. Something terrible had happened here, there was more than just the mutiny that was reported. Something dark, unnatural.

As if words, a voice whispering to him that he knew it, he knew what it was.

The voice laughed at his struggle, it knew what it wanted. A laugh, like cracked and broken bells. Haunted and dangerous. 

And with that the voice was gone, only the memories in the mountains remained. The cliffs beckoned them forward, the darkness quickly sweeping.

“I made a promise, my friend.” He muttered. A promise he intended to keep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these 3 are my favorites to write ahdjjsjs 
> 
> when am i gonna add the ship tags  
eh eventually


	5. The Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katarina can and will give you a strange pep talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i’m alive that’s a shocker 
> 
> This was supposed to be!!! A really long chapter!!! but i decided to split it in two.  
hopefully it won’t be another month until i update again

_ “May I ask you something?” The first man said. The other did not look up from his work, yet still smiled lightly though only he could know it.  _

_ “Of course. Is something wrong?” _

_ “No, nothing wrong. Just-” _

_ The first shut his mouth. It was trivial, he thought. Why bother him with it?  _

_ “Something is troubling you.” The second said, knowingly. _

_ “It’s nothing bad, I swear of it.” _

_ The second looked up and narrowed his eyes, glinting slightly from the light of the stars outside the window. “You’re a horrible liar.” He sighed. _

_ The first smiled, carefully removing the touch. Too knowing. Too close.  _

_ “I think you’ve just known me for long enough.” He grumbled in return.  _ _   
_ _ “Perhaps it’s both. But please, you know that you can tell me. I won’t judge you, you very well know that.” The second said quietly, standing up and pushing away his chair. He sat down on the floor, beckoning the other to sit beside him. The first sighed, and flopped down, eyes to the ceiling, never to the other man. “It’s quite pathetic of me, really. Aren’t I supposed to be so scary? That’s my job.” A small laugh barely heard in his voice. _

_ “There are times where you are frightened and thoughtful, just as there are times where I am selfish and brutal. We’re human, it’s only our nature to be so… unpredictable.” The second responded, shrugging. “That’s just how we work, I’m afraid.” He leaned over the first as an attempt to meet his eyes. He looked away, almost shrinking from the sight. _

_ “I feel as such I’m hearing things sometimes.” He mumbled. _ _   
_ _ “What things?” _ _   
_ _ “My own voice in my head, mixed with other thoughts. Intrusive ideas, concepts I wouldn’t wish to come true. Things that other people we know have tried to do.” The first man sat up, knees to his chest, voice slightly muffled. There was something to pinpoint in his expression,even if it was hard to see. Concentration? Anger? No, that wasn’t it. _

_ He learned there were the ticks behind the mask the first often wore. A slight falter, a stutter or pause in his words.  _

_ A look away. _

_ A change of breath. _

_ For him, ever since they had known one another, children of another time, it had been easy to tell.  _

_ He looked… worried? No, that wasn’t the right word either. Scared? True, but that wasn’t it. He looked… _

_ Small. _

_ Like a child again, scared of his fate in the future. The past, coming spiraling back and stopping time for just moments at a time. It brought a sense of unease to his chest. He didn’t like thinking about those times.  _

_ The past had not been kind to them. At least the present somewhat was, at least with only the complications of their work. He prayed the future would be peaceful.  _

_ But peace is such a distant concept, no matter how much one could dream. _

_ The second man rustled next to the first, hugging him tightly in the awkward sitting position next to him. He buried his head into the other’s shoulder.  _

_ “I’m sure it will all be alright. We’ve got everyone else by our side, no? And I have you, you promised me that.” _

_ The first chuckled. _

_ “I did make a promise, and so did you. If I was lost-” _

_ “Or if I-” _

_ “You would find me. No matter how stubborn we could be.” _

_ He closed his eyes, remembering the words well. “Guide the wayward soul home, as the stars do.” _

_ He could not remember if he fell asleep at that moment, alone in his friend’s arms. All he knew was that it was safe.  _

_ \--- _

Jarvan had been staring at the mouth of the cave for 78 seconds, completely still. He was counting. All of his chaotic thoughts, and this is what his mind focused on. Vayne and Katarina began to assemble a team to break it open, but the emperor stood there, silent, eerily unmoving. Violet eyes gazed ahead, barely even blinking, Drakebane held loosely to his side.

Katarina sauntered up to him. She didn’t really care if he was still, if he was worried. She never really cared about those things.  _ It was simply how she was raised. _ He had not even acknowledged any presence since they came off the ship and into the light. He was thinking. Thinking hard. 

“You alright?” She asked, a scarred eyebrow raised.

He didn’t respond, just a small nod to indicate he was alive. 

“Are you nervous?”

He shook his head.

“Paranoid? Completely apathetic?”

“No.” 

“Then what?”

Jarvan’s eyes blinked at her for only a moment, then back to the cave. He took in a heavy breath.

“I don’t know the words to describe it.” He finally said.

Was it nostalgia? Desire for the past? It was a tricky, if not fragile subject, even to his own head. 

What was there more to say? The past. It was done. Nothing can go back to when it was. So why keep lingering on it?

There was something about the way that things were before that never seemed alright. Of course, he remembered most conversations, most meetings. He had to, it was his job as emperor for all things to be accounted for. All points of view, all descriptions. 

Yet, something always seemed off. 

Maybe it was his partnership? His ordinals? But he trusted them. They were handpicked, the best fighters, the most cunning tacticians, his closest allies and friends. Some still turned their backs to his proposals, but he didn’t quite care. Not until anyone else was in danger. 

His mind lingered back to why they were here now. An Ordinal, a  _ friend _ , someone he trusted, he respected, had caused this. A complete mess, all to cover his trail.  _ The poor commander… the poor crew… _

“Jarvan?”

He looked at Katarina, startled to be interrupted from his own thoughts. 

“They asked if we’re ready.”

He nodded wordlessly, fear of letting any wrong words or tone escape his lips. Katarina gave him a side eye before walking towards the rest of the crew, leaving him alone once more.

He shouldn’t be thinking like this.

He shouldn’t  _ think _ , at all. Whatever secret they could uncover here may have deserved to be hidden. Maybe, perhaps, his friend kept it from everyone for a reason. He always had reasons in the past, always logic, always reason. He kept Jarvan grounded. He countered him, spoke his mind, didn’t care if others got hurt. He admired him, in a strange way.

_ I still trust him too much,  _ Jarvan thought.  _ He left. He does not care. It’s simply self preservation, isn’t it? He’s a fraud. All this time he’s been a liar and a fraud. _

A pause. 

_ What a selfish man. _

He never identified him as selfish, but it seemed like the most appropriate word. In the past, they talked about the empire, how they could fix it. Fix it with the other Ordianals’ help, with each other’s help. No matter how strict or ruthless his plans might have been, he was only thinking of the future. He loved his boldness, once.

Any recent event he could name in the last hours shattered those thoughts instantly. 

He didn’t want to believe it, but there was nothing there to disprove it. The missing soldiers, shattered fightmek, disappearances seemingly from nowhere. None of this could be a coincidence, it  _ had  _ to be his doing. 

This place could provide answers. He pushed back the uneasiness once more, that careful whisper in his head that sounded so familiar.

_ You haven’t seen the things in there _ , it said.  _ Please, be careful. _

Another voice rose in his chaotic mind, it was gentle. It was different, but it sounded so much more real.

_ Go, find your answer.  _ This voice breathed, ethereal and calm.  _ You deserve this knowledge. You deserve this vengeance. _

He took a deep, heavy breath, ceasing the voices in his head. He clutched Drakebane’s handle. Had the lance always been this heavy?

“Commander Du Couteau?” He called. The bright-haired woman turned her head as he met her gaze.

“Tell Ordinal Vayne to settle her crew. I want to go down alone.”

“Alone?” She echoed, walking back up to him.

“Yes.” He said, “Just for a little bit.”

“May I ask why? There may still be men down in it, we can’t have another person caught down there, especially you. Need a reminder that you literally lead this entire empire?” 

“I’m aware, Commander.” 

“So what’s the impulsive reasoning.” She was about to speak again, but hesitated. Her mouth quickly formed into a knowing frown. “Nope. Not a reason.”   
“It’s a reason enough, I deserve to know!” Jarvan barked.

“Then I’m coming with you.”

“That’s absurd.” 

“You’re absurd!” She yelled, then quickly hushed to a quieter voice, “You think just because you’re  _ being absolutely pathetic  _ that gives you the right to be reckless and a moron-”

“ _ Excuse me?!”  _ He sputtered in return, “I am not, this is absolutely-” He shook his head, face flushing red, partly from the simple embarrassment. “Don’t think of it like that.” He said quickly. 

Her eyes glistened as she shifted the bangs away from her face, interface and scar that cut through fully visible. A small smile creeped up on her face, knowing. He didn’t say another word, just tried to focus on her. Something else to think about. The clear glass of the interface. The bangs, now tucked behind her ear. The scar that covered her other eye, always open and exposed to see, like an uncanny badge of honor. 

She placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes so dense and determined he didn’t bother to look away. The air was tense and quiet, everything else seemed to short out as she whispered, barely loud for even himself to hear. Her smile soon faded, words became firmer, yet quieter in tone.

“When I became a part of this Empire, when you accepted me into your ranks despite what had happened to my father, despite the actions of me and my siblings, I learned two things that day.” She paused, taking a deep breath.

“One, when you leave behind those you’ve known you come to see who they were to you. How they affected you, spoke to you, treated you. My sister, my brother didn’t care much for me to begin with, only further drifting apart with my father’s disappearance. But I look back on it to know they never cared. Cared about each other, or me. You have people like that too. You’re growing blind.”

Jarvan exhaled, closing his eyes. “But-”

“The second thing I learned was our ridiculous emperor loves to give second chances, and that the people, whether against or for us, mistake mercy and kindness for weakness.”

Whatever he was going to say, he forgot.

“Your mercy towards all of us, no matter how… indecisive your other actions may be, keep this empire afloat. This is the most sure a lot of us have ever seen you, however,” Her eyes broke contact for a moment, trying to find the correct words. “It’s proving them right. No one here wants to see you fail, my emperor, but with each passing second of paranoic acts of compassion, your fall is only going to hurt more. Your Ordinals, as well as me, wouldn’t want to see that.”

His shoulders felt lighter, and Jarvan realized they were no longer gripped by the woman. The world seemed to come back into focus from their conversation, Katarina stepping away as her eyes narrowed, a thin smile slowly curving her face. “Now, we should go. Best to be down there without the rest of them noticing, hm?”

He processed the sentence, staring at her dumbly before giving her a sharp nod. 

“And don’t think about it too much.”

“I won’t think about it too much.” He nudged her shoulder playfully. “Perhaps I won’t think at all.”

She shoved back. “Isn’t that all the time, though? I think I know you well.” He rolled his eyes and gestured a hand towards the mouth of the cave, stepping to the side as it waited, almost beckoning them forward. 

“After you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Update schedule is hella weird depending on my motivations woOPS
> 
> And ofc, thank you so much for reading!! I’m super excited to keep going on this, I absolutely adore the Odyssey universe and there’s so many things to discover there. Here’s to Riot making more skins soon


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